Category Archives: African American

Poems in Support of our Somali / Somali-American Community

Poems in Support of Our Somali / Somali-American Community

As many of you likely know, the largest Somali/Somali-American community in the U.S. is in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area. The good people of Minnesota are doing what they can to support the Somali/Somali-American community there.

Our subscriber and contributor, Merna H. from Washington state writes:
“…The least I can do is honor the amazing Somali poets whom I’ve had the privilege of working with over many years. I’m sending these weekly poems in awe of their poetic depth and wisdom. I join you in full support of our local and national Somali/Somali American communities and all immigrants and refugees experiencing the harms imposed on them by the current administration.
 
“Thank you so much for taking your time to read and savor these amazing poems and to share them with your friends and family, if you so choose.”

We’re publishing these weekly poems in solidarity with every single Somali and Somali-American living in the U.S. Please come and revisit this post anytime to re-read these poems written by these Somali high school students.
For more information on the new Word Travels Project, “Uplifting Voices,” email: <wordtravels2025@gmail.com>
In peace, poems, and prayers for doing everything we can to keep our communities and our country safe and welcoming for all, and with warm New Year Greetings to all,

* * *

1.  The young Somali woman, a former student, who wrote this poem fully believed she would thrive in America and fulfill her dream of attending Law School. We need her and countless other young refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers who are beautifully and brilliantly prepared to contribute to creating a more just and humane United States.
 As S. says in her poem, “May we hold each other’s hands and live in peace.”

I AM

by S., from Somalia, former High School Student.

I am a girl
who wears every color
of Hijab–pink, black, maroon,
whose eyes are dark,
whose skin is the color of almonds.

I am a hardworking person,
I am a proud Muslim,
I am from Somalia,
I am full Somali,
I am someone who cares about your pain,
emotion and culture.

I am a person who wishes
to graduate from university,
to study law and become a lawyer.
I am a hopeful person,
I am a person who wants to have a successful life,
I am a person who tries everything that’s new to me,
I am a person who talks about great decisions.
I am person who believes in herself,
I am a person who thinks that the people of this earth
should hold each other’s hands to live in peace,
and they should care about their Mother Earth.

* * *

2. A Story, Somalia

Written by Y., from Somalia, former high school student

My old home has the scent of good birth,
boiled green beans, deep cornel oil,
and hand me down poetry.
Its brick, bright white-washed walls are widowed
from their first paint,
the walls uneven, cracking from gun shots and rocks.
The thin roof tops always hummed songs of promise,
the wind locked into a demonic rhythm with the leaves,
the trees with the wind hugging them,
loving them with a torturous love.

The round cemented pots 
kept the raindrops cool,
spattering the foreheads of neighbors and dwellers softly.
Loud children playing football, with sand under their socks,
we had what we had and it wasn’t a lot,
but no one knew they were poor,
we were all innocent of greed’s hunger
to judge, to oppress, to take.
Then Death came, multiplying like even numbers,
splitting family members in seconds.
The death of my brother remains
as the separation between my father and me.

Writing became the father I never had.
 Growing up, war was a playground 
and my friends and I played in it,
 never did we learn to ride bicycles 
or play with dolls.
 War was our playground.
Somalia used to combust with life
like a long hibernating volcano,
farmers, fishermen, even fighters had a place
in our productivity.
The beautiful coast line,
the elastic shore, the glorious mosques,
I yearn for the warm scent of the Somalian rain.
Growing up, I feared the sea and closed doors,
because whenever I dived into the pool of risk-taking
it always seemed like I drowned.
Drowning in a sea with no open door,
no escape, was my fear.

How I miss the magical night of Somalia, the sky
collapsing willingly over its inhabitants,
the burning sun of June, the guarding moon,
the long naps at noon,
the freedom poets, the rampant wisdom,
the magnetic tongue,
those were joyous days.
Now, people rise to look for change,
like a new moon’s birth.

The art of storytelling is the world
I wish for,
I would wander off to it,
until my story of Somalia is told.

* * *

3. Somalia, an Ocean 

Written by S., from Somalia, former high school student

Somalia is an ocean
undisturbed it is beautiful,
clear, blue, peaceful,
disturbed and disrupted,
it is dark, bloody, dangerous.

The ocean is calling us
the tides are bringing peace
but we can’t hear
because of the war
we changed the water into blood
and the beautiful waves that have always been there
have gone to jail for a long time now.  

The ocean is crying
because we let her down
we smashed her to the ground
and denied her any chance for peace
as if we don’t need the ocean,
but we long for her,
to see the reflection of our beauty in her.

Somalia, it is time to open our eyes
and see how the ocean looks today
Somalia, it is time to free the ocean
it is time for the ocean to rise
like the flag that stands for peace.

Let the ocean tides bring us peace
Somalia, it is time to welcome
the ocean and open our hearts.
Let us come together
be undisturbed in peace,
let us come together,
and let the water be clear once more,
and we shall not let our blood touch the water again.

 

4. Odkac

By H., High School student from Somalia. She takes us into her love for her mother’s Somali kitchen and writes of sharing stories and food across generations.

I remember the smells and sounds
coming from my mother’s kitchen,
the food my mother prepared 
Sambusa, chicken biryani, and odkac.

I eat and remember my mom 
sharing family stories 
as she mixed flour with salt
and beef steak with xawaash and cardamom powder,
she spoke of what my grandparents went through 
and how hard it was to live
without food and shelter,
losing families, relatives,
in front of their own eyes.
As she sliced tomatoes, chopped onions,
cut carrots, and minced garlic
her eyes welled up from
memory and onion,
and she recalled
how war was in front of them.

Cooking brings out
the stories we need
to learn from
as if mixing spice
with stories
folds together our
life and emotions,
and sharing food together
helps us to share life together.

My mother’s kitchen is a safe space
to talk about war and death,
to talk about the meaning of sacrifice
and not giving up
over a full plate of odkac.

 

5. Nature Poem

By M., High School Student from Somalia. M’s short poem addresses the predicament of our times, speaking truth with few words and deep insight.

Nature, I can hear your tears calling and yelling
in the middle of the night, calling for help,
but they cannot hear you,
their minds focus on taking over
countries and planning wars.
They cut your trees with no hesitation,
they no longer know the meaning
of beauty.

The Harvesters & Escaping Hunger Pangs

The Harvesters & Escaping Hunger Pangs

By maggie d., poet and retired educator, Washington

1. The Harvesters

“Be at peace with your
Enemy” our ancestors
Preached
But what if they were
Police
The authorities who
Handcuffed and
Hunted you down like
An animal
That gave you no relief
When you sought to live
Freely in America
Continually we battled
Our poverty hunger strife
In our native land
At one time the fields
And orchards offered a
Way to excel
It was a place where hope
Dwelled
And Cesar Chavez’s Spirit
Existed

2. Escaping Hunger Pangs

Stealing food heals
My momentary hunger
Making me wonder
About the noises
In my stomach
They sound louder than
Thunder as they rumble
Inside
But I relentlessly search
For slumber and shade in
The city sun
Oblivious to places too
Obvious for rest
I recall how nice the
Beans and rice
Are when I realize I can
Get caught someday
Living life on the streets
I savor solutions to stay
Alive without needing to
Hide

—maggie d., African American poet and retired educator, Washington.

 

Coral Remembrance

Coral Remembrance 

By Rachel Agyeman, age 17, Maryland

Spring
Small fluorescent animals join together
Into sprawling colonies, growing across millenniums
An undersea civilization emerges
Pillars grow into branching skylines
Soft-bodied leaves, flowers, and mushrooms cover the floor
Young polyps ride currents with their finned neighbors
Weaving through thin, colorful trees and stinging whips
Before settling into extended colonies
A season passes, and warmth arrives to the city

Summer
The surface brightens, the city quiets
Gleaming, branching skyscrapers dim
Vibrant mushrooms and flowering plants fade
Into the returning memories of ivory reefs long lost
Generations of colonies once teeming with life
Now frail and shriveled beneath the waves
The sun a soul-sucking beam, draining all the reef’s radiance
Algae and mucus escape to the surface, clouding the scattered sunlight
A season passes, and the dark city begins to cool

Autumn
As sunlight penetrates the waves slower, the blazing heat seems to weaken
The city’s remaining colors endure, each polyp retains its strength
The skyscrapers continue to stand tall, the plants remain in bloom
Memories of the passing heat reach future generations
Strengthening each one more, prolonging their lives
Preserving the civilization’s vibrancy
The polyps and fish swim freely once again
Through now illuminated paths
Color returns to the bustling city

By Rachel Agyeman, age 17, Maryland. She writes:
“I was born in Maryland and have always lived there, but my parents grew up in Ghana and immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s. I’ve only visited Ghana once during my winter break this year, so I’m not fluent in the native language, which is Twi. I only speak and write English, though I can understand a little bit of the Twi my parents speak to each other. I hope to continue visiting Ghana in the future to stay connected to my family and culture. Drawing and writing are very important passions for me. Having the opportunity to create, either as a comfort outlet or a long-term project, is something I will always value. I will soon be going to college to study psychology and explore some art programs, hopefully finding a way to combine my passion for creating with my desire to understand and help others through my studies. I created this piece for my creative writing class and was inspired by an article I saw during my research about coral having the ability to ‘remember’ past bleaching events. The concept of coral being able to ‘remember’ anything despite not having a brain made me want to write a poem that combined scientific facts about coral with an emotional, personified perspective on the lives of coral reefs.”

Still A Student?

Still A Student?

By Emra Woldearegay, originally from Ethiopia, now teaching in Missouri.

Here I am, still a student.
Oh, why, after so many decades?
Aren’t you tired? They ask
What’s the point, they ask.
You better start earning tons
because time’s running out.
But for whom? I ask.
How could time run out when
I’ve so much to learn
about things & skills that make me more adept.
Why should that matter
When what I love is asking questions,
I am curious, like the cat.
They jump on me, snarling like an angry cat
And declare-gleefully: “Curiosity killed the cat.”
I would rather be like the cat killed for curiosity
after living nine lives, learning, and relearning eight times.
NINE lives!
What a way to go; it is the best way.

By Emra Woldearegay, originally from Ethiopia, did her graduate studies at the University of Oregon. She is now teaching journalism in Missouri.

Waiting for a Madam President of the United States!

Waiting for a Madam President of the United States!

By Arun N. Toké, editor

Did you know that each and every one of the 46 Presidents of the United States, has been a male in its almost 250-year history since the Declaration of Independence? Since the founding of the nation on July 4th, 1776, not even one woman has been elected to the highest office of the land!

Ask your female classmates, neighbors, friends and family members, “Can a woman lead the country?” and listen to what they say. Likely, they will all say, “Women are equally capable as men to lead the nation.”

Across the globe, many dozens of nations—in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia—have elected women as presidents or prime ministers to lead their countries during the last 65 years. Some of these countries have elected women leaders multiple times over the decades. Various countries like the United Kingdom, India, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Argentina, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Indonesia… the list is too long to include them all here! But unfortunately, the United States has not made the list so far!

Just recently, in October 2024, Mexico also joined the ranks of over 25 countries with women heads of their governments when Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as the first elected female President of the nation located just south of our border! Why haven’t we elected a woman to lead the United States of America yet?

Will the people of the United States choose to elect our first ever woman president this November? Many capable women leaders in other nations have shown clearly that women can lead as well as men, and sometimes even better.

Perhaps, you have studied the history of our country, and you know that women were not given even the basic rights to vote when the Constitution was first written. It allowed only landowning white males a right to vote. African Americans, and even the Indigenous People (who had lived here for generations) were not considered citizens of the country, and were not able to vote or run for any political office.

It was the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in the year 1920, after a decades-long suffrage movement led by women, that gave women the right to vote and thus help elect their representatives.

Interestingly, a number of European countries also enacted laws to give their women citizens a right to vote around the same time. Russia did so in 1917, Germany in 1919, and the United Kingdom began the process by granting women limited rights in 1918, and then full rights in 1928. Did you know that New Zealand became the first country to grant women voting rights in 1893? Nineteen other countries had also granted these rights to women before the United States did so in 1920. However, Switzerland did not grant women voting rights until 1971! In Asia, India granted some of its women the right to vote in 1935, while it was still a British colony. When India became an independent nation in 1947, the country’s constitution, adopted on January 26, 1950, gave its women full voting rights.

While the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the 1860s were enacted to bring full citizenship rights to non-whites and former slaves—primarily African Americans—it was not until the year 1965 as the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Johnson, that Blacks in the South gained meaningful access to the ballot box. Thus also including the African American women (who were left out in the 19th Amendment of the 1920)!

Unfortunately, the country still does not have a true democracy. Because we have an archaic system of “The Electoral College,” which gives disproportional power to small states in electing the President, at times, we have had presidents who did not get the most votes. For example, in the 2016 presidential election, even though Hillary Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Donald Trump, she did not become the President because she lost the Electoral College. She came very close to becoming the first woman president of the country!

The U.S. Supreme Court Justices are appointed for a lifetime. And, they are not even elected by the people. Until recently, all of these justices were also male and white (Sandra Day O’Conner was the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court in 1981). They interpret the laws and decide what is constitutional and what is not. Here is an example worth noting: reproductive health rights for women.

In 2022, the “Roe v. Wade” decision, which had guaranteed national access to abortion for women for about 50 years was struck down by the Supreme Court. As a result, some states now have severely restricted women’s rights and have caused great harm to many women living there. Thanks to progressive leaders, Democratic states still have reasonable family planning options, including an abortion procedure, for families, couples, and women.

In 1917, Montana’s Jeanette Rankin became the first woman to serve as a Congressional Representative in the nation. Since then over 300 women have been elected to serve in the U.S. Congress or the Senate (the upper house). Ms. Kamala Harris became the first woman to serve as the United States Vice President in January 2021 after Sen. Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris (who had previously been elected as a U.S. Senator, and before that the Attorney General, of California) won the 2020 presidential elections.

In 2024, we have a precious opportunity to turn the page in our nation’s history by electing Ms. Kamala Harris as our next President. Who we elect as the President will shape the future of the nation (and even the whole world because of our tremendous global power). The implications of the choice we make as a nation are huge. We have serious issues facing us: the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the accelerating climate change crisis, and the nuclear weapons threat…

We need a truly capable leader who has a deeper understanding of the many complicated issues our nation (and our world) faces, and then lead us with fairness, kindness, and compassion to solve these pressing problems. Someone who knows and speaks the truth and works to bring the country together; someone who does not make hasty decisions based on short-term, selfish, or financial gains.

In 2024, our choice is clear, in my humble opinion.

—Arun N. Toké, editor.

Welcoming Autumn

Welcoming Autumn

Photographs by Carleen Clifton Bragg, Chicago, Illinois.

Down by the Pond: Southside Suburb of Chicago on a Calm, Clear Autumn Day

Ducks on the Pond

Autumn is Bold Colors… A Blend of Orange, Reds, Browns and Blues…

Trees are ablaze with bright colors for a while during the peak of Autumn

Autumn Leaves ready to drop… just waiting for a heavy frost, steady rain or windy day…

Photographs by Carleen Clifton Bragg, African American Photographer, Illinois.

“I live in Chicago’s South Side neighborhood. There are three beautiful small lakes near where I live. Sometimes, I visit the park with a cup of my morning coffee. Sitting on the bench by the water, I gaze at the still water and the geese enjoying their group gatherings, and naturally, I smile. Watching the geese swimming makes me happy. It’s the most beautiful cornerstone in the neighborhood that I depend on as a quick getaway. It is my home away from home. In the autumn, it’s especially breathtaking! I call this ‘My Peace Spot’ for the tranquility it offers me. Last autumn, I took some of the most stunning photographs here!

“I developed an interest in photography at the age of five. I credit my parents for planting the seeds when they purchased me my first camera. They have continued to support my interest in photography over the years. I started as a self-taught photographer, but later trained with the New York Institute of Photography. I try to capture sports moments, glamour, landscapes, music, theater, and street life. I am enamored with the works of the ‘late greats’ like Gordon Parks and James Van Der Zee.

“My photos have been published by Tyler Perry’s Production: Why Did I Get Married?, Today’s Photographer Magazine, and the International Library of Photography. I am a three time-winner of the Museum of Science and Industry’s Black Creativity. I also had a solo exhibit—my first One-Woman show in 2011 at the ARC Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.”

Climate Change Threatens the Future and the Past

Climate Change Threatens the Future and the Past

By Halia Ochieng, age 13, Virginia. 

Storms and floods are increasingly common in coastal areas in the United States and around the world. Rising water tables prevent soil from draining, which impacts soil health, plant growth, and other important ecological resources. I traveled to Jamestown, Virginia, home of England’s first permanent colony in North America, to learn more about another impact of rising water levels: the destruction of archeological sites. 

To understand how climate change is threatening these sites, I met with Dave Givens, the Director of Archaeology at Jamestown Rediscovery. Dave explained that rising water levels not only damage artifacts, they also make it harder for archeologists to do their work. Things stand to get worse: Dave estimated that “Jamestown will solidly be underwater by 2050.” 

Archeologists on Dave’s team reported that, as previously dry archaeological features become inundated, they are damaged in ways that reduce the historical clues they offer. DNA, for example, can be lost when bones are submerged for too long. Saltwater causes even greater damage, and Jamestown and many other archeological sites are close to the ocean. Artifacts containing porous materials like bricks, bones, pottery shards, and wood are damaged slowly, but metal artifacts corrode quickly, even in brackish water.

It’s not only Jamestown that’s threatened. According to a study done by researchers from across the country, more than 13,000 U.S. archeological sites are at risk of sinking. 

The same is true of many important heritage sites around the world. Ancient civilizations often developed along river deltas, such as the Tigris, Jordan, Euphrates, Nile, Indus, Huang He and Changjiang. River deltas are particularly threatened by rising water levels because they are flat and close to sea level. This means that our most valuable archaeological sites are often at the highest risk. 

Even a several-inch rise can submerge these sites, and according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the “average sea level has risen by more than 8 inches since scientific record keeping began in 1880.” 

New advances in technologies used for archeology, such as ground-penetrating radar, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) imagery, and portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy measurers, offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand the civilizations that shape our societies and enrich our cultures. If archeologists had the time they needed to apply these new technologies in threatened sites, we could unlock a wealth of knowledge about our ancestors and our world. Because these new archaeological tools are less effective under water, rising water levels have created a race against the clock. 

Despite the urgency of their work, archeologists face many climate change-related interruptions. Coastal archeological sites have reported 100-year-storms becoming as frequent as every five years. Also, archeologists need to dig when soil is dry to see discolorations in the soil, which can indicate trenches or other filled-in groundwork. It’s hard for archeologists to race ahead when dry-soil days are becoming rare. 

June 2023. Heavy rains and high tides inundated excavation units with evidence of early expansion of James Fort.

To buy time, archeologists have sought temporary solutions, such as pumps and water retention walls. These are not only costly, but they are also inadequate. To enable archeologists to continue making discoveries, we need to slow climate change, which does more than submerge artifacts. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “coastal erosion… and more frequent large wildfires are damaging archaeological resources, historic buildings, and cultural landscapes across the nation.” 

Some may argue that climate change has actually helped archeologists. Historic droughts in 2022 revealed sunken Nazi warships in the Danube, dinosaur footprints in the Paluxy riverbed in Texas, and other artifacts. These were often found in rivers, lakes, or reservoirs, instead of coastal areas, and some have since been resubmerged. While archeologists try to make the most of these unpredictable opportunities, these finds cannot compare to what they stand to lose.

As a student who hopes to become an archeologist in the future, I see my career dreams literally sinking at the precise moment when, thanks to technological advances, the field holds so much promise. By the time I enter the workforce, it may be too late to dig in some of my favorite archeological sites. This is particularly sad because archeology has recently made great strides in telling the stories of women and marginalized communities. Whereas history used to focus on the stories of dominant individuals and groups, so many of us are only now learning our histories. 

I wanted to write this article as a way to raise my voice. I am told I am too young to run for office, too young to vote, and too young to do much lobbying. Young people are rarely given the chance to encourage our governments to protect the climate, which is why young people like Greta Thunberg had to resort to school strikes when she was around my age. Similarly, young people are rarely included in discussions about supporting archeology. Both goals are so important, and the current generation of adults has a responsibility to lead the way. Younger generations know that it’s their future at stake, but they need adults’ help to access and raise their voices in adult-led spaces. 

Adults can help by improving climate change education. Young people need to learn more about climate change and its impact on archeology. These topics get little attention in schools, educational resources, or children’s media, but we need to understand what’s at stake and how to reduce our climate footprint to protect historical treasures waiting to be dug up. 

Adults should also increase funding for climate-informed archeological work. “Funding for archaeological research from governmental and philanthropic sources is becoming scarcer,” according to the Digital Archeological Record, just at the time when the field needs to accelerate its work. 

Most importantly however, adults need to reduce their own climate footprint. Protecting the climate today not only safeguards our future, it also allows us to continue learning from our past. 

By Halia Ochieng, age 13, Virginia. Their Climate Conservation Club can be reached at: climateconservationclub.gf@gmail.com. Halia says, “I’ve grown up between Europe, Kenya, and the United States, and I take inspiration from environmental activists like Wangari Maathai and Greta Thunberg. I speak German and English and am currently learning French.”

 

 

 

 

A Friend That Never Was

A Friend That Never Was

By maggie d., Washington.

Except for Erica and I
The playground was empty
And our laughter could be
Heard miles away
“Not it! Not it! You are it!”
She yelled
Beginning a game of tag

Seconds later
A white car arrived to
Pick her up
The driver was someone
I never saw before
“No matter,” I whispered
With a shrug
Resting my mind on
Tomorrow’s joy

But the next day’s gladness
Did not show
Angrily she blurted
“My Mom said you are a monkey
And I do not play with
Monkey girls!”

A bucketful of tears
Streamed down my cheeks
As I stared into an
Unfamiliar face at the
End of a fence
Making me wince
When she wrapped my hand
Around her light peach
Fingers and asked
“Will you be my friend?”

—maggie d., African American poet and educator, Washington.

Embracing the Unknown

Embracing the Unknown

By Maggie D., Washington.

Her smile was as great
Big and beautiful as
A sunrise above the
Grand Canyon
Gripping the
Stars and Stripes
The Pledge of Allegiance
Was softly spoken
Without a hint of hesitation
Her human spirit
Held onto a future
Hope
Of making her free
From the tyranny
She once experienced
With a salute to her
Deepest desires of what
She was about to
Become

—Maggie D., retired educator and African American poet, Washington.

Summer Work

Summer Work

By Maggie D., Washington

Summer time is here
Gardens to tend
Money to spend
For back to school
Clothes
That are not too old
Bought at the thrift store
Some will need mending
Others will profit from
Two washes
My gosh
Summer is passing
As quick as a wink
When I think of the
Days disappearing among
The harvested corn
And winter squash

—maggie d., retired educator and African American poet, Washington. She adds: “Summer Work errupted from memories of my grandmother’s farm in Oklahoma.”